The India Under-19 team failed to clinch their sixth title in the ICC Men’s U19 Cricket World Cup after suffering a 79-run defeat to Australia in the final at Willowmoore Park, Benoni, on Sunday. This was India’s third straight defeat to Australia in an elite ICC tournament after the World Test Championship final and the 50-over Men’s Cricket World Cup final last year.
On the other hand, Australia won their fourth title in the ICC Men’s U19 Cricket World Cup, adding to the titles they had previously won in 1988, 2002 and 2010. Five-time winners India finished runner-up for the fourth time in their ninth appearance in the final.
As the tournament comes to an end after almost a month, let’s have a look at the players who stood out in terms of their performance:
Leading run-scorer of the tournament: Uday Saharan (India)
The Indian captain ended the tournament as the highest scorer with 397 runs in 7 innings, averaging 56.71. He scored three half-centuries and a hundred that came against Nepal in the Super Six stage.
Leading wicket-taker of the tournament: Kwena Maphaka (South Africa)
The leading South African pacer scalped 21 wickets, including a couple of five-wicket hauls to end the Under-19 World Cup. His figures – 6/21 – came against Sri Lanka in the final game of the Super Six round.
“Means a lot to me. I will remember about this for the rest of the tournament. I worked on my inswing a lot, that’s what helped me in this tournament. Super eager for the future, will be amazing if I can make it happen (play for South Africa). Lot of hard work to do,” Maphaka said at the post-match presentation on Sunday.
Highest score of the tournament: Snehith Reddy (New Zealand)
The New Zealand batter drew everyone’s attention with his class knock against Nepal in a group-stage game in East London. The Kiwis posted 302 for in 50 overs, riding on Reddy’s magnificent 147 off 125 deliveries, including 11 boundaries and 6 maximums. New Zealand had won the game by 64 runs.
Best bowling figures of the tournament: Taz Ali (England)
The English leggie ran through the Zimbabwe batting line-up in the Super Six Group 2 clash in Potchefstroom. Ali returned 7 for 29 in 7.5 over to derail Zimbabwe’s chase of 237 as only 2 out of 11 batters managed double-digit scores. The 17-year-old was adjudged the Player of the Match for his exceptional bowling figures.
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